Volunteer Application

Fostering Guidelines and Application to Volunteer

The Dogue de Bordeaux Rescue Inc. exists to place stray or abandoned Dogue de Bordeaux in homes which will provide a high level of care. The Rescue will assist Bordeaux owners, who, for any reason, can no longer provide a home for their dog.

DDB RESCUE dogs will remain the property of DDB RESCUE while in foster care. The DDB RESCUE dog will be surrendered immediately upon the request of the Regional Coordinator (RC), the State Coordinator (SC), any DDB RESCUE Board of Directors member. Should legal action be necessary to reclaim a DDB RESCUE dog, the foster home will be responsible for all legal fees incurred by DDB RESCUE.

In all cases, except when the Rescue Committee deems it inappropriate, the breeder of record (if known) will generally be the first person contacted in regard to a rescue Bordeaux and be given the opportunity of participating in the rescue and placement of the dog or dogs involved or having the dog or dogs returned to them.

DDB RESCUE makes no explicit or implicit guarantees in reference to health and/or temperament of the foster dog. DDB RESCUE will provide the dog with basic vaccines, fecal examination, flea/tick preventative and any other required medications. Heart worm test require approval from RC/SC or a DDB Rescue BOD. DDB RESCUE cannot guarantee the health of any animal and shall not be held responsible for any expenses other than direct care for the foster dog that may be incurred as a result of housing the foster dog. DDB RESCUE does not make any warranties regarding health, temperament or whether the animal is housebroken.

In order to be accepted for placement in the rescue, the Bordeaux must have a stable temperament and be in good health. These factors will be determined by the Rescue Coordinator and the Rescue Volunteer involved in the case. A Bordeaux who does not meet these criteria will be handled according to the best interest of the breed. The Rescue Coordinator will be authorized to spend $350 per dog for veterinary care, food and necessities. All costs are to be put up by the Foster home to be reimbursed with proper receipts. If expenses for an individual case are anticipated to be in excess of this amount, expenses must be approved by the DDB Rescue BOD.

DDB RESCUE will fund routine veterinary care. This includes vaccinations, heartworm testing and preventative, spay/neuters, fecal exams and any prescription medications necessary for the health of the foster dog(s). All veterinary appointments must be pre-approved by the RC/SC, or a DDBS RESCUE Board Member. Expenditures incurred by the foster family, other than emergency care, without prior approval by DDB RESCUE, will be the sole responsibility of the foster family. All original veterinary paper work should be mailed to the RC/SC for the dog’s file. Bills for reimbursement must be sent to the DDB RESCUE Treasurer with a completed expense report.

Any dog accepted in the rescue must be spayed or neutered prior to its adoption. If, for age or health reasons, the dog is placed before alteration, the new owner must agree to alter the dog by a specified date by the rescue. The rescue will reimburse the new owner for the spay/neuter costs of the rescue dog up to a maximum of $150. If the dog is not altered by the specified date, the rescue will re-obtain the dog due to breach of contract.

All dog in rescue must be micro chipped with the DDB Rescue as the primary contact name. If a dog cannot be micro chipped prior to going to its new home, the adoptive home is required to have the dog micro chipped within 30 days and shall be reimbursed up to $50 for micro chipping. The DDB Rescue must be the primary contact if the adopter does the micro chipping also.

Complete records are to be kept on each dog accepted in the rescue, including information on the breeder, all old and new owners and foster homes, and follow-up records. The National Coordinator will maintain a permanent file for each dog placed and publish annual reports pertaining to the dogs placed.

No foster dog is to be transferred from the foster home to any other party without prior approval by the RC, SC or a member of the board of directors. The foster home must notify the RC, SC or a board member if they will be away and care of the dog(s) is being left to someone other than another foster home. If the dog cannot be cared for in the foster home during an extended absence, DDB RESCUE will make arrangements to either board the foster dog, or move it to another approved DDB RESCUE foster home.

The foster family accepts liability for any and all damages that occur in connection with the fostering of DDB RESCUE dog(s). The foster family agrees to release DDB RESCUE from any and all claims, known and unknown, now or hereafter, arising in connection with the animal(s) while under the direct care of the foster family.

The DDB RESCUE foster dog shall reside indoors, in the foster’s home, and live as a family member and companion. The dog will not be kept outdoors during the foster’s working hours, nor at any time be left alone outdoors while the foster family is not present. The foster dog(s) will be kept in the home as a family pet and may not be crated or isolated for excessive periods of time. When outside, dogs should be confined to a fenced-in yard or kennel, or kept on-leash. While in the home, dogs will get appropriate supervised house time and will not be left alone with children. The foster dog(s) must be on-leash and accompanied by an adult at all times when leaving the property; a copy of the dog’s rabies certificate must always accompany the dog when leaving the property. The foster dog(s) is/are not to be left alone with children under the age of 16 at any time. An adult is to be with the dog whenever there are any children around. The foster dog should be on leash and handled by an adult in the company of children other than those residing in the foster home.

The foster dog(s) will be fed, watered, exercised, and socialized appropriately. The foster home will not be compensated for expenses incurred in the normal daily care of the animal(s) (i.e. food, toys, grooming, etc). However, these items will be provided to each foster home when DDB RESCUE has them available. DDB Rescue may do specific fund raiser food drives throughout the year to assist foster homes with food.

While the DDB RESCUE foster dog(s) is/are in foster care they should receive training in basic obedience, house training (potty training) and house manners. Prong or shock collars are to be used only with prior approval from the DDB RESCUE RC/SC, Assistant RC/SC or a Board of Directors Member. Training collars or halters will only be used when walking the dog on a leash or during obedience classes.

All foster families are required to be on the DDB RESCUE foster e-mail list. The foster family will continually evaluate the foster dog(s) and report changes in behavior that may require re-evaluation of the foster dog(s) to the SC/RC or a member of the board of directors.

The foster family will be responsible for writing up bios and providing photos of the foster dog for the DDB RESCUE web page and updating them regularly. A sponsorship photo should be filed with the FC within the first week of foster care but may be updated if desired.

The foster family shall refrain from physical abuse or mistreatment of the foster dog(s) and from otherwise treating the dog(s) in an inhumane manner. This includes, but is not limited to non-physical abuse, such as yelling at the dog, and depriving the dog of activities.

Prior to sending the foster dog(s) to an approved adoptive home, the foster family must complete an Adoption Contract with the family, discussing the contract with them. Contracts will be emailed to the foster family in their complete form, ready for signature.

The foster dog(s) will be adopted to a permanent home only with the approval of the DDB RESCUE Adoption and RC/SCs, and only applicants pre-approved by DDB RESCUE may visit the foster dog(s) in the foster home.

Foster Families work with Regional Coordinators to determine whether the approved, potential adoptive family is the appropriate home for the foster dog(s). The foster family should not send a dog home with a family they feel is not suitable for the foster dog(s).

Questions or problems with the foster dog(s) should be directed to the DDB RESCUE RC/SC. If there is a need to remove the dog(s) from the foster home, arrangements will be made to have the dog removed as soon as possible.

The foster home has the first option to adopt the dogue they are fostering at our standard adoption fee of $450. The foster family may not adopt a dog they are fostering after it has been shown to a potential adopter. If the foster family would like to adopt the foster dog, the RC/SCs should be notified before arrangements are made to show the dog to applicants.

The Regional Coordinators will select volunteers and remain in contact through the entire adoption process. The volunteers are responsible to keep detailed records of each dog. The National Coordinator should be contacted as soon as a Dogue is going to enter the rescue service.

In all matters of Bordeaux rescue, the welfare of the breed shall be the prime consideration. If a conflict exists between the welfare of a particular Bordeaux and the welfare of the breed, the welfare of the breed shall take precedence.